Regulator system



Sept. 24, 1935- 1., L. FOUNTAIN 2,015,556

REGULATOR SYSTEM Filed April 14, 1.934

' lNV ENTOR L W/8/768 L, fZz/nfa/n.

WITNESSES: I

Patented Sept. 24, 1935 Lawrence Ii. Fountain, to Westinghouse E Company, East Pittsburgh,

PATENT "OFFICE 2,015,556 asoum'roa SYSTEM of Pennsylvania Application April-14, 1934, Serial No. 72:0,620 4 Claims. (01.290-40? My invention relates to electrical regulators and regulator systems, and more particularly to regulator systems for regulating the voltage of electric feeder circuits.

In certain generator applications, such as where small waterwheel driven generators areemployed, for supplying relatively small amounts of local power, as infarm lighting installations, it

is frequently desirable to operate the waterwheel or similar prime mover over a considerable with a constant gate opening corresponding period to a relatively constant supply of power to the prime mover, instead of providing controlling the supply of power to the mover in accordance with changes in regulator means for prime the speed of the generator, or of the load on the generating unit.

In the operation of such units,'it is also frequently undesirable for economic reasons to provide a generator voltage regulator of the type that varies the excitation of the generator cordance with variations in line voltage.

In such generator installations changes inacin the load on the distribution circuit cause changes in the speed, frequency, and voltage of the generator, these quantities increasing with a decrease in load,

and decreasing with an increase in load feeder circuit supplying the load.

An increase in generator voltage occasio a decrease in the load on a circuit may, certain conditions, be considerable on the ned by under in extent and suflicient to either burn out light bulbs or other electrical equipment supplied from the. circuit, or to greatly shorten the useful feeder life of the electric light bulbs or other equipment employed, thus materially increasing the tenance cost of the system.

main- In accordance with my invention, means is provided for maintaining a substantially constant load on the generator, thereby causing its voltage and frequency to be maintained substantially constant.

My invention will be'better understood fr following description, the accompanying drawing and its scope pointed out in the appended claims.

speed,

om the taken in connection with will be In the drawing, the single figure is a diagrammatic view of circuits and apparatus comprising one preferred embodiment of the invention.

Referring to the drawing, a generator I is provided having an armature winding 2 for supplymg alternating current energy through the feeder or supply circuit represented by the conductors 3, 4 and with a field winding to any suitable direct current energy so 5 that is connected urce 6 'Pa., a corporation through control apparatus, such as the rheostat 1, which may be adjusted to establish the proper current flow in the field circuit.

The generator is illustrated as being driven by a water turbine 30 or otherv prime mover to 5 which the input may most advantageously be maintained at a relatively constant value; While in the turbine shown input adjustment may be effected by changing the setting of a valve 32 in the water-supplyconduit, in those situations to 10 which the present invention is directly applicable it:is preferable to allow this valve to continuously remain at a given point of opening which is adequate to supply the maximum power demands to which the driven generatormay be subjected. 15

.The feeder circuit comprises conductors 3 and 4 through which power is supplied to a load represented in the drawing by the devices 8 and which maybe any electrically operated equipment such as lamps, motors, or heating devices that are 20 usually supplied with energy from such a circuit.

A load consuming device, such as the resistor 9, is provided, and is connected by conductors l I and II in a circuit that is a parallel circuit in relation to the load 8, and that is in series circuit relation 25 with the windings l3 and H of a reactance device 15, here shown as an iron core reactor having three winding legs l6, l1 and IS, the windings l3 and i4 being illustrated as wound about the outside legs i6 and I8, respectively. A rectifying de- 30 vice l9, which may be of any suitable construction, but is here illustrated as a full-wave rectifier of the dry-disc copper-oxide type, is provided and energized from the alternating current circuit conductors 3, 4 and supplies direct current to a 35 winding 2| wound about a portion of the middle leg ll of the reactor l5.

A rectifier 23 is connected to be supplied with alternating current from the secondary winding of a current transformer 25 through the primary 40 winding of which the load current supplying the load 8 passes. The rectifier 23 may be similar in construction to the rectifier i9 and is arranged to supply direct current to a winding 24 that is also wound about the middle leg ll of 45 the reactor [5. The windings 2| and 24 are so connected to the rectlfiers l9 and 23, respectively, as to produce flux in the winding leg II that is in phase opposition as indicated by the arrows 22 and 26. That is to say, the actual flux produced 50 by the two windings 2i and 24 is responsive to the differential ampere turns in these two windmgs.

If the current in the supply circuit is at its normal full-load value, the flux produced by the 5 winding I will preferably be equal and opposite to the this produced by the winding 2i, so that thetotalreeuitottheenergizationoithesetwo windings is ncglltlble and the current through the circuit reactor-windings II, ll andthe negligible. Ii. now, theload on the supply circuit decreases, the current thrown theprimsry winding oi the current transformer II oorreqlondinglydecreases, as does the direct current from the rectifier II thmmh the winding 24. 'This decrease in the nu: produced by the winding 24 run to completely neutralise lheiiusproducedbythewindinglhand thediii'el'ential eflect of the two windings 2i and Il is to cause a certain amount 01 fiux to how from thewindingleg i'lthroughthereactorcore.thus decreasingthereactanceorthewindingsilandil and permitting a certain amount or current to flow-hem the generator through the resistor I. httilllurtherdecreaseinthecurrentinthesupplycircuitwilloauseaoorrespondingiurtherdethe direct current through the winding Qlandacorrespondingincresseinthefiuxinduoedh'omthewindinglLcausingagreater degrce of saturation of the reactor core.

" lathe event thattheourrent in the supply cireuitenceedstheuormalmllloadvaluethesmpere turnsflproduced by winding It will. under the conditions above stated, or course overbalance hose produced by winding 21 and tend to saturate the oocestructure. To eliminate thisunde lrable possibility. the two named windings may lie soproportloned that at normal run load ciramiadiultedthstthepower-flowingtl'lroughthe paralleicircuit representedbytheconductors ii, I. the resistor I, and the reactor windings it, it,

in proportion to th ratus disclosed in the illustrated embodiment of my invention will appear to those skilled in the art, and I do not wish to be limited otherwise than by the scope or the appended claims.

I claim M my invention:

i. In a generating system wherein a load-circuit is supplied by an electrical generator driven by a prime mover having a substantially constant power input, means for maintaining a substantially constant frequency and voltage on the 10 generator comprising a static power consuming device connected to be energized from said generator, and static means responsive to the current in said load circuit for so varying the power consumed by said power consuming device as to 15 maintain a substantially constant electrical load on said generator.

2. In a generating system wherein a load circuit is supplied by an electrical generator driven by a prime mover having a substantially constant 20 power input, means, for maintaining a substantialLy constant frequency, voltage and loading on the generator comprising an auxiliary load-consuming circuit which includes a reactor having an iron core. and means for so controlling the degree 25 of saturation of said core in accordance with changes in the current in the first-named load circuit as to cause the reactor impedance to vary inversely with said current changes.

3. In a generating system wherein a load circult is supplied by an electrical generator driven by a prime mover having a substantially constant power input, -means for maintaining a substantially constant frequency, and voltage and loading on the generator comprising an auxiliary loadconsuming circuit including an iron core reactor having windings connected to said generator through-said circuit, means for saturating the core of said reactor, and means energized in accordance with the current in the first named load so circuit for opposing said saturating means to thereby cause the reactor impedance to vary inversely with the changes in said current.

4. In combination, an alternating current circuit, a variable load connected to said circuit. a 4g saturable inductive reactor connected in parallel with said load. a resistor connected in series with said reactor, a direct current winding energized for saturating said reactor, a second direct cur- .rent winding difierentially related to said first so named winding, and means comprising a current transformer and a rectifier for energizing said second named direct current winding in accordance with the load current flowing in said circuit.

LAWRENCE L. FOUNTAIN. 

